UNDERSTANDING

CURRICULUM
 Definitions of Curriculum
• The word “curriculum” originates from Latin word currere
referring to the oval track upon which Roman chariots raced.
• The New International Dictionary defines curriculum as
whole body of a course in an educational institution or by
department
• Oxford English Dictionary defines curriculum as courses
taught in schools or universities.
• Curriculum means different things to different people.
Sometimes educators equate curriculum with the syllabus
while a few regard it as all the teaching-learning experiences
which the student encounters while in school.
 UNESCO website cite the following authors :

Curriculum :
• is a description of what, why, how and how well students
should learn in a systematic and intentional way. The
curriculum is not an end in itself but rather a means to
fostering quality learning. (Source: UNESCO IBE 2011)
• The term curriculum has many definitions, ranging from a
planned ‘course of study’ (derived from the Latin) to an all-
embracing view that includes all the learning experiences for
which the school is responsible (e.g. “the curriculum is the
totality of experiences which are planned for children and
young people through their education, wherever they are
being educated”, Scottish Government 2009)
 Definitions of Curriculum

• “The curriculum is a plan incorporating a structured series of

intended learning outcomes and associated learning
experiences, generally organized as a related combination or
series of courses.” (Australian Thesaurus of Education
Descriptors)
• The curriculum is the “inventory of activities implemented to
design, organize and plan an education or training action,
including definition of learning objectives, content, methods
(including assessment) and material, as well as arrangements
for training teachers and trainers.” (CEDEFOP 2011)
• “A curriculum is a plan for learning.” (Taba 1962)
• “The curriculum defines the educational foundations and
contents, their sequencing in relation to the amount of time
available for the learning experiences, the characteristics of
the teaching institutions, the characteristics of the learning
experiences, in particular from the point of view of methods to
be used, the resources for learning and teaching (e.g.
textbooks and new technologies), evaluation and teachers’
profiles.” (Braslavsky 2003)

• The curriculum can also be viewed as a political and social

agreement that reflects a society’s common vision while taking
into account local, national and global needs and expectations
 Bilbao, P.P., et al. (2014): Curriculum
Development for Teachers

1. A planned and guided set of learning experiences and

intended outcomes, formulated through the systematic
reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the
auspices of the school, for the learners’ continuous and wilful
growth in personal social competence”( Daniel Tanner, 1980).
2. A written document that systematically describes goals
planned objectives, content, learning activities, evaluation
procedures and forth. (Pratt, 1980)
3. The contents of the subject, concepts and tasks to be
acquired, planned activities, the desired learning outcomes
and experiences product of culture and agenda to reform
society make up a curriculum. ( Schubert,1987).
4. A curriculum includes “all of the experiences that individual learners
have in a program of education whose purpose is to achieved broad
goals and related specific objectives, which is planned in terms of
frameworks of theory and research or past and present professional
practice” (Hass,1987)

5. As programme of activities (by teachers and pupils) designed so that

pupils will attain so far as possible certain educational and others
schooling ends or objectives ( Grundy, 1987).

6. A plan that consists of learning opportunities for a specific time frame

and place, a tool that aims to bring about behaviour changes in
students as result of planned activities and includes all learning
experiences received by student with the guidance of the school
(Goodland and Su 1992).
7. As answers to three question:
1. What knowledge, skills and values are
most worthwhile?
2. Why are they most worthwhile?
3. How should the young acquire them?
( Cronbeth, 1992)
 Pawilen (2019) The Teacher
and the School Curriculum
Curriculum :

1. Curriculum as a list of subject- this definition suggests that curriculum is

the “permanent” or the traditional subjects offered in the school
curriculum such as Mathematics, Language, Science, Music, Arts and
others.
2. Curriculum as learning experiences- this definition includes students’
curricular and co-curricular activities and the learning experiences they
encounter inside or outside the school. This definition includes the
hidden curriculum or those things learned by the students as a result of
their experiences in the school with their peers, schoolmates, teachers,
school staff, or the values they learned from a school program. in short,
it includes the school culture.
3. Curriculum as intended learning outcomes- this definition includes a list
of learning competencies or standards that students should learn in
school.
4. Curriculum as planned learning experiences- this
includes documents specifying contents, objectives, or
general ideas of what students should know in school
or in a specific discipline.

5. Curriculum as a discipline- curriculum as a discipline

has its own principles, theories and practices.

6. Curriculum as content or subject matter. This

definition views curriculum as a series of topics under
each subject area.
 Some Points of View of Other
Curricularists
1. Curriculum from Traditional Points of View
2. Curriculum from Progressive Points of View
 Traditional Points of View
The traditional points of view of curriculum were advanced by
Robert Hutchins, Arthur Bestor and Joseph Schwab.
• Robert M. Hutchins view curriculum as “permanent
studies” where rules of grammar , reading, rhetoric, logic
and mathematics for basic education are emphasized. The
3Rs (reading, writing, “arithmetic) should be emphasized
in basic education while liberal education should be the
emphasis in college.
• Arthur Bestor as an essentialist believes that the mission
of the school should be intellectual training, hence
curriculum should focus on the fundamental intellectual
discipline of grammar, literature and writing. It should
include mathematics, science, history and foreign
language.
 Traditional Points of View

• Joseph Schwab thinks that the role source of curriculum is

a discipline, thus the subject areas such as Science,
Mathematics, Social Studies, English and many more. In
college, academic disciplines are labelled as humanities,
sciences, languages, mathematics among others. He
coined the word discipline as a ruling doctrine for curriculum
development.

• Philip Phenix asserts the curriculum should consists

entirely of knowledge which comes from various discipline.
 Traditional Points of View

• Collectively from the traditional view of the theorists

like Hutchins Schwab, Bestor and Phenix, curriculum
can be defined as a field of study.
• Curriculum is highly academic and is concerned with
broad historical, philosophical, psychological and social
issues.
• From a traditional view, curriculum is mostly written
documents such syllabus, course of study, books and
reference where knowledge is found but is used as
means to accomplish intended goals.
 Progressive Points of View
A listing of school subjects, syllabi, course of study and list of
specific disciplines do not make curriculum. In its broadest
terms, a progressive view of curriculum is the total learning
experiences of the individual. Let us look into how curriculum
is defined from a progressive point of view.

• John Dewey Believes that education is experiencing.

Reflective thinking is a means that unifies curricular
elements that is tested by application.
• Holin Caswell and Kenn Campbell viewed curriculum as all
experiences children have under the guidance of teachers.
 Progressive Points of View

• Othaniel Smith, William Stanley and Harlan Shore

likewise defined curriculum as a sequence of potential
experiences, set up in schools for the purpose of
disciplining children and youth in group ways of
thinking and acting.
• Colin Marsh and George Willis also viewed curriculum
as all the experiences in the classroom which are
planned and enacted by the teacher and also learned
by the students.
 Summary Definition

• CURRICULUM is what taught in school, a set of

subjects, a content, a program of studies, a set of
materials, a sequence of courses, a set performance
objectives, everything that goes within the school. It is
what is taught inside and outside of school directed by
the teacher, everything planned by school, a series of
experiences undergone by learners in school or what
individual learner experiences as a result of school.
• In short, CURRICULUM is the total learning experiences
of the learner, under the guidance of the teacher.
 TYPES OF CURRICULUM

1. IDEAL OR RECOMMENDED CURRICULUM- this refers to

what scholars propose as the most appropriate curriculum
for the learners. For example, different professional
organization or various programs of study in different
universities may proposed curriculum innovations or
alternative curriculum content as a result of their
researches.
Example :
• For Basic education- DepEd (K to 12 Curriculum during PNoy)
• For Higher Education – CHED
• For Vocational Education- TESDA
2. INTENDED, OFFICIAL OR WRITTEN CURRICULUM- this refers to
the official curriculum embodied in approved state curriculum
guides (Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead, 2006). It is the
curriculum prescribed by the government. In the Philippine
context, these are the prescribed courses from different
government agencies (DepEd, CHED, TESDA).
Example:
- The Kindergarten Curriculum Standard (DepEd)
- The K-12 Curriculum(DepEd)
- CHED Curriculum for Gen Ed (Memo Order No. 20 series 2013)
- TESDA Module and Competencies
- Books, syllabi, modules, books or Instructional Guides
3. IMPLEMENTED/ TAUGHT- this type of curriculum refers to the
actual implementation of the curriculum or what teachers in
school teach. In many cases, teachers modify and improve their
curriculum based on the needs of the students or whenever
there are new ideas in various disciplines that are important to
teach to the students. Academic freedom among faculty
members in college may also influence how professors plan and
implement their courses.
- Will depend largely on the teaching style of the teacher and the
learning style of the learner
Example:
- Lesson Plan
4. ACHIEVED OR LEARNED CURRICULUM- this refers to the result
of the curriculum or what students actually learned in the
school (Print, 1993) and whether the schools are successful in
attaining goals and objectives.
- Denotes all the changes in values, perceptions, and behavior that
occur as a result of school experiences.
Example:
• How to know if the student has learned?
Answer : By changing behavior (from non-reader to a reader, from
not knowing to knowing, from disobedient to being obedient)

- The positive outcome of the teaching is an indicator of learning.

5. TESTED OR ASSESSED CURRICULUM- this is a set of learning
that is assessed in teacher-made classroom tests, curriculum-
referenced tests, and in standardized tests (Glatthorn, Boschee,
and Whitehead, 2006).
Two types of Assessment
• Assessment for Learning- typically administered at the end of a
unit or grading period. To find the progress of learning.
Example: Midterm Exam, Achievement Test
• Assessment as/of Learning- assess a student’s comprehension
and understanding of a skill or lesson during the learning and
teaching process.
Example: Quizzes
6. ENTITLEMENT CURRICULUM- It refers to what the people or the
general society believed the learners should expect to learn in
the educational system for them to become good members of
the society.
7. SUPPORTED CURRICULUM. This refers to the curriculum that is
reflected on and shaped by the resources allocated to support
or deliver the official curriculum. (Glatthorn, Boschee, and
Whitehead, 2006)
Example: print materials like books, charts, posters, worksheets.
Non-print like PPT, movies, slides, models, realias, mock-ups, and
other electronic illustrations. It also includes facilities like playground
and science lab
8. NULL OR CENSORED CURRICULUM. This refers to various
curriculum contents or topics that must not be taught to the
students. (Tanner & Tanner, 2007)
The null curriculum refers to the things that students do not have
the chance and opportunity to learn. In this regard, learners learn
something based on the absence of certain experiences,
interactions and discourses in the classroom. For instance, if
students are not taught to question, talk about and call out sexist
language in books, they are learning that this thing is not an
essential thing for them to be exposed to (Milner, 2017). In other
words, what is absent from curriculum is actually present in what
students are learning.
9. HIDDEN CURRICULUM. This refers to various skills, knowledge, and
attitudes that students learn in school as a result of their
interaction with other students, staff, and faculty members.
Although the hidden curriculums not actually taught in formal
classroom learning, it is also true that the hidden curriculum can
be a product of the students' schooling. The hidden curriculum is
very powerful in developing the school culture (Print, 1993).
- Not deliberately plan
- Peer influence, school environment, media, parental pressures,
societal changes, cultural practices, natural calamities are some
factors that create the hidden curriculum.
Example : In elementary school devote a lot of times in reading while
little of time in art. Thus the pupil will learn that art is not considered
very important.
 Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

1. The Curriculum is continuously evolving.

• It evolved from one period to another, to the present. For
a curriculum to be effective, it must have continuous
monitoring and evaluation. Curriculum must adapt its
educational activities and services to meet the needs of a
modern and dynamic community.
2. The Curriculum is based on the needs of the people.
• A good curriculum reflects the needs of the individual and
the society as a whole. The curriculum is in proper shape
in order to meet the challenges of times and make
education more responsive to the clientele it serves.
 Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

3. The Curriculum is democratically conceived.

• A good curriculum is developed through the efforts of a
group of individuals from different sectors in the society
who are knowledgeable about the interests, needs and
resources of the learner and the society as a whole. The
curriculum is the product of many minds and energies
4. The Curriculum is the result of a long-term effort.
• A good curriculum is a product of long and tedious
process. It takes a long period of time in the planning,
management, evaluation and development of a good
curriculum.
 Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

5. The Curriculum is a complex of details.

• A good curriculum provides the proper instructional
equipment and meeting places that are often most conducive
to learning. It includes the student-teacher relationship,
guidance and counseling program, health services, school and
community projects, library and laboratories, and other
school- related work experiences.
6. The Curriculum provides for the logical sequence of subject
matter.
• Learning is developmental. Classes and activities should be
planned. A good curriculum provides continuity of
experiences.
 Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

7. The Curriculum complements and cooperates with other

programs of the community.

• The curriculum is responsive to the needs of the community. The

school offers its assistance in the improvement and realization of
ongoing programs of the community. There is cooperative effort
between the school and the community towards greater
productivity
 Characteristics of a Good Curriculum
8. The Curriculum has educational quality.
• Quality education comes through the situation of the individuals
intellectual and creative capacities for social welfare and
development. The curriculum helps the learner to become the
best that he can possibly be. The curriculum support system is
secured to augment existing sources for its efficient and effective
implementation.

9. The Curriculum has administrative flexibility.

• A good curriculum must be ready to incorporate changes
whenever necessary. The curriculum is open to revision and
development to meet the demands of globalization and the
digital age.
 REFERENCES

• Bilbao, P.P., et al. (2014). Curriculum Development for Teachers.

Metro Manila, Philippines: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
• Bilbao, P.P., et al. (2015). Curriculum Development for Teachers.
Metro Manila, Philippines: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
• Curriculum (plural curricula). (2016, May 24). International
Bureau of Education. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/glossary-
curriculum-terminology/c/curriculum-plural-curricula
• Reyes E. and Dizon E. (2015). Curriculum Development .
Manila, Philippines: Adriana Publishing C0., Inc.
• Pawilen. (2019). The Teacher and School Curriculum. Quezon
City, Philippines: Rex Book Store, Inc.